112 Americans are already running for president in 2016 - twice the number as at this stage of the cycle four years ago; Republican filers outnumber Democrats by more than 2:1

While political junkies still need to wait several more months before top-tier Democrats and Republicans start to file their official paperwork for the 2016 presidential election, the Federal Election Commission has remained quite busy processing candidate filings from lesser-known Americans in recent months.

Could the swell in candidate filings be a sign of rising dissatisfaction with the federal government?

Or is it merely a reflection of the fact that the 2016 cycle is an open seat race with Obama completing his second term?

Whatever the cause, the last two years have seen a massive uptick in the number of 2016 filers compared to this stage of the 2012 cycle.

A Smart Politics analysis of FEC Statement of Candidacy filings through July 13th finds that exactly twice as many Americans have filed to run for president in the 2016 cycle (112) as compared to four years ago at this time (56).

Each presidential candidate is required to file a Statement of Candidacy to the FEC within 15 days of becoming a candidate.

While north of 300 such filings were processed for the 2012 campaign, only 56 had been filed at the FEC through July 13, 2010.

Twice as many Americans have announced their presidential candidacy for the 2016 cycle - although it's unlikely you've heard of any of them.

So, just who are these people?

Republicans Leading the Charge

Rumored top-tier presidential candidates for the 2016 cycle find substantially more Republican names being floated than Democrats, where Hillary Clinton is seen to be crowding out most would-be candidates.

Among lesser-known candidates, Republicans are also running in much greater number.

Of the 112 candidates to file thus far, more than one-third are Republicans (38, or 33.9 percent).

That is more than twice the number of Democrats, who count 18 filers to date, or 16.1 percent of all candidates.

More than two-thirds of the Republican candidates hail from states carried by Obama in the 2012 election with just 12 from Romney states: five from Texas and one each from Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and West Virginia.

Two candidates attempted to bridge the partisan divide by filing as "Democrat & Republican" - Doris Cintron of San Diego and Daniel Lane Dean of Los Angeles.

A total of 25 candidates filed as independents (22.3 percent) while 16 did not list their affiliation (14.3 percent).

One candidate filed from the Green, Libertarian, Reform, Socialist Democrat, and Tea Parties as well as one each from All Mother Earth, America's Third Party, Anti-Hypocrisy, Bull Moose, Inspiration, Priorities, Revolutionary, and Work parties.

Men, Men, Men...

As has been the case for top-tier presidential candidates over the decades, an overwhelming majority of presidential filers so far have been men.

Through Sunday, 87 of the 112 presidential early birds are men, or 77.7 percent, with just 25 women.

Less than a quarter of the female filers were Republican (six of 25) compared to 42 percent of the males (32 of 77).

Among the colorful candidates running for president in 2016:

· Democrat James "Titus the Great" Law of Torrance, California· Republican Tim "Texas Slim" Day of Galveston Island, Texas· Democrat President Emperor Caesar of Cape Coral, Florida· Revolutionary Party candidate President Princess Khadijah M. Jacob-Fambro of San Francisco· Independent candidate Rev. Father John Boydson of Springfield Colorado who included a photocopy of his calling card, praying hands on the footer of his application, and a quote from Numbers ("The Lord bless thee and keep thee.")

Boydson was not the only candidate to inject religion on his declaration of candidacy.

Unaffiliated candidate Andre Ventura of Detroit announced who would be the VP on his ticket as follows:

Running Mate
Name: God
Address: Omni Present
Phone: Prayer

If At First You Don't Succeed...

While none of these presidential candidates are household names, for many this is not their first rodeo.

In fact, 52 of the 112 men and women to file thus far have filed to run for president a combined 102 times in previous election cycles.

A total of 45 candidates running for president in 2016 also filed in 2012, with 22 doing so in 2008, 11 in 2004, 14 in 2000, and 10 in 1996.

Two early birds have already filed for the 2020 cycle: Republican Timothy Kalemkarian and Libertarian Kip Lee (each of whom has filed for every cycle dating back to at least 1996).

The paperwork of independent candidate Joseph Charles of Greater Houston is a bit curious, however, as it states he is running "for reelection" to the office of the presidency.

Charles, who also turned in paperwork in each of the previous five presidential election cycles since 1996, filed his name as:

Joseph Charles - U.S. President "of Royalty's" of the U.S.A. - for Reelection

And his campaign committee is named:

I, President Joseph Charles of the U.S.A. - At Present

Is Your Neighbor Running for President?

The 112 filers hail from 34 different states plus the District of Columbia.

Not surprisingly, the nation's most heavily-populated states tend to produce the largest number of these fringe, lesser-known, and perennial candidates.

California leads the way with 17 filing thus far for the 2016 cycle, followed by Florida at 15, Texas at 11, Michigan at seven, and New York and Pennsylvania with five.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Washington, D.C. and Virginia with four and Arizona, Maryland, and North Carolina with three each.

Sixteen states have yet to see one of its residents throw his or her hat in the presidential ring at this point in the cycle: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Grab Bag...

· Very few of these little-known candidates ever raise much money for their presidential campaigns, however Priorities Party candidate Michael Dwayne Jenkins of Richmond, Virginia is a bit more optimistic about his ability to come up with some money. Jenkins filed with an outdated 2003 version of Form 2 that included a section intended for Senate and House candidates only that asks how much personal funds the candidate plans to expend exceeding the threshold limit. Jenkins filled in $12 million for both the primary and general election!

· When All Mother Earth candidate Todd Wade Willey from Onaway, Michigan was asked to fill out the state and district in which he lives, he wrote, "Planet Earth."

· Meanwhile, on his initial filing Republican Ezekiel George Crotzer of Midland, Michigan named his Principal Campaign Committee (PCC) "Congress the Congress of the United States." After the FEC sent Mr. Crotzer a letter informing him he needed to provide more information on his PCC, he sent an amended form stating his committee name was now, "Sarah Palin."

Note: It will likely be quite a while before the first known candidate enters the presidential fray this cycle.

In the 2012 cycle, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer was the first big name to file, on March 3, 2011 followed by Tim Pawlenty on March 21st and Barack Obama on April 4th.

In the meantime, stay tuned for other less notable presidential hopefuls as they try to dot their I's and cross their T's on their way to a successful FEC filing.

So is someone from your hometown running for president? Check the list:

Presidential Statement of Candidacy Filings, 2016 Cycle

Name

Party

City

State

Run before

Jenny Edwards

None

Jemison

AL

2000, 2004, 2012

Katee Edwards

None

Jemison

AL

2008, 2012

Kenneth Robert Cross

Reform

Batesville

AR

2008, 2012

Michael Wayne Diggs

Republican

Amity

AR

Chuck Zeiger

None

Glendale

AZ

Kristi Freeland Dutton

Independent

Tucson

AZ

Roger Jewell

Republican

Casa Grande

AZ

1996, 2000, 2008

Brittany Lauren Clark

Democrat

Los Angeles

CA

Charles Brannan

Green

Chico

CA

2008, 2012

Daniel Lane Dean

Democrat & Republican

Los Angeles

CA

Doris Cintron

Democrat & Republican

San Diego

CA

Doug Shreffler

Democrat

Port Hueneme

CA

Eric Scott Cavanaugh

Republican

Sonora

CA

James "Titus the Great" Law

Democrat

Torrance

CA

James Orlando Ogle

Democrat

Monterey

CA

1996, 2012

Jerry Leon Carroll

None

Stockton

CA

1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

John Albert Dummett

Republican

Foresthill

CA

2012

Kip Lee

Libertarian

Redding

CA

1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2020

Matthew David Pinnavaia

None

Oceanside

CA

2008, 2012

Nicholas Alexander Sopkovich

Democrat

Newport Beach

CA

Philip Bralich

Democrat

Monterey

CA

President Princess Khadijah M. Jacob-Fambro

Revolutionary

San Francisco

CA

2012

Temperance Alesha Lance-Council

Anti-Hypocrisy

Pacific Palisades

CA

2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

Timothy Charles Kalemkarian

Republican

Westlake Village

CA

1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2020

Father John Boydson

Independent

Springfield

CO

2000, 2004, 2008

Eric James Borrell

Independent

Washington

D.C.

Samuel Lyndell Powell

Independent

Washington

D.C.

2008, 2012

Sherlene D. Stephens

Republican

Washington

D.C.

Tyrone Julius

Republican

Washington

D.C.

2012

Donald Sauter

None

Dover

DE

1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

Angie McCall

None

Titusville

FL

Brian Patrick Ketterer Russell

Republican

Ponte Vedra Beach

FL

Christin Noel Griskie

Republican

Panama Beach City

FL

2012

Dwayne Alan Tomlinson

Republican

Wauchula

FL

Elaine Whigham Williams

Democrat

Orlando

FL

Josue LaRose

Republican

Deerfield Beach

FL

Michael Alan Steinberg

Democrat

Tampa

FL

Patrick Stephen McKart

Democrat

Fort Myers

FL

Paul Chehade

Independent

Miami

FL

2012

Paul Edward Tape, Jr.

Tea Party

Trenton

FL

President Emperor Caesar

"Democrate"

Cape Coral

FL

2008, 2012

Stuart Ross Farber

Independent

Orlando

FL

Terry Jones

None

Gainesville

FL

2012

Tony Mullikin

None

Titusville

FL

Yinka Abosede Adeshina

Republican

Tallahassee

FL

2012

Patrick Anthony Drake

Republican

Grayson

GA

2012

Angelo Yoshannah Scrigna

Democrat

Pahoa

HI

Ronald Durphy Menard

Independent

Honolulu

HI

2012

Doris V. Walker

None

Chicago

IL

John Graham Schwartz

None

Park Ridge

IL

James Robert Byers

Independent

Elkhart

IN

Todd Richard Glore

Independent

Fort Wayne

IN

2012

Shawna Joy Martinez

Independent

Sharpsburg

KY

Paul W. Debow

Republican

Natchitoches

LA

Don Larance Rondeau

Independent

Gaithersburg

MD

Michael Wayne Hubbell

Independent

Lexington Park

MD

Victor Bryan Walker

Independent

Timonium

MD

2012

Andre Ventura

None

Detroit

MI

2008

Bartholomew James Lower

Republican

Ionia

MI

Cherunda Lynn Fox

Republican

Detroit

MI

Eugene Rosell Hunt

Republican

Gaylord

MI

2012

Ezekiel George Crotzer

Republican

Midland

MI

Paul Benjamin-Dielman Cannady

Independent

Lexington Park

MI

Todd Wade Willey

All Mother Earth

Onaway

MI

Ole Savior

Republican

Minneapolis

MN

2008, 2012

George Brent Bailey

Republican

Clinton

MS

2008, 2012

David Quinn Hendrix

Independent

Gastonia

NC

Robert Carr Wells

Independent

Charlotte

NC

2012

Steve Allen Dillon

Unaffiliated

Belhaven

NC

Michael Wayne Kinlaw

Republican

Williston

ND

David Christopher Holcomb

Independent (Christian)

Springfield

NE

2012

Jeffrey Boss

Democrat

Guttenberg

NJ

2008, 2012

Rome Murphy II

Democrat

Ewing

NJ

Kerry Dale Bowers

Republican

Henderson

NV

Brenda Dawn Justice

Republican

Astoria

NY

Kins Jeroboan

Republican

Jamaica

NY

Michael Dename

Independent

Brooklyn

NY

2012

Silvia Stagg

Republican

Niagara Falls

NY

2011-2032; 2012-2024

Zachary Tarlow

None

Northport

NY

Amy Conger

None

Westlake

OH

Daniel Robert Owens

Democrat

Ashland

OR

Mark Alexander Paul Keller

Republican

Aloha

OR

Brian Cole

Republican

Hollidaysburg

PA

Jerry Leonard

Republican

Harrisburg

PA

Loretta Lax Miller

Democrat

Highspire

PA

2012

Mike Benjamin Martisko

Republican

Point Marion

PA

2000, 2008, 2012

Thomas Francis Winterbottom

Democrat

Pottstwon

PA

2000, 2004

Jacob Baker

Work Party

Greenville

SC

Vincent Charles Jones

Bull Moose Party

Charleston

SC

Mark Joseph Dutter

Independent

Spearfish

SD

Deborah Mae MacKimzey

Independent

Bryan

TX

John Anson Lee

Republican

Houston

TX

2012

Joseph Charles

Independent

Greater Houston

TX

1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

Karin Lynn Swanson

Socialist Democrat

Amarillo

TX

2012

Lee L. Mercer Jr.

Democrat

Houston

TX

2008, 2012

Mr. and/or Mrs. James McCord Sewell III

Independent

Houston

TX

Pogo Mochello Allen-Reese

Republican

Sugar Land

TX

Sammy Murel Brown

Republican

Kountze

TX

1996

Tiffani El Dawn Mimms

Republican

Cedar Hills

TX

Tim “Texas Slim” Day

Republican

Galveston Island

TX

2012

Willie Felix Carter

Democrat

Fort Worth

TX

2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

Mark Pendleton

Independent

Salt Lake City

UT

2012

Robert Fane Lehigh

Inspiration

Salt Lake City

UT

Eddie McDowell

Republican

Richmond

VA

1996

Jefferson Woodson Sherman

Republican

Springfield

VA

Michael Dwayne Jenkins

Priorities Party

Richmond

VA

1996, 2000

Sheila “Samm” Tittle

Independent

Fredericksburg

VA

2012

David Jon Sponheim

America's Third Party

Oak Harbor

WA

2012

June La'Gay Lloyd

Independent

Seattle

WA

John Theodore Schiess

Republican

Rice Lake

WI

Lowell Jackson Fellure

Republican

Hurricane

WV

2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

Tami L. Stainfield

None

Charleston

WV

2012

Note: Through July 13, 2014. Table compiled by Smart Politics with information from FEC filings.

January's preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show Minnesota's unemployment rate of 3.7 percent was once again lower than Wisconsin's 5.0 percent. That marks the 73rd consecutive month in which Minnesota has boasted a lower jobless rate than its neighbor to the east dating back to January 2009 including each of the last 67 months by at least one point. The Gopher State has now edged Wisconsin in the employment border battle for 204 of the last 216 months dating back to February 1997. Wisconsin only managed a lower unemployment rate than Minnesota for the 12 months of 2008 during this 18-year span.

For each of the last 24 presidential elections since 1920, North and South Dakota have voted in unison - casting their ballots for the same nominee. For 21 of these cycles (including each of the last 12 since 1968) Republicans carried the Dakotas with just three cycles going to the Democrats (1932, 1936, and 1964). This streak stands in contrast to the first few decades after statehood when North and South Dakota supported different nominees in four of the first seven cycles. North Dakota narrowly backed Populist James Weaver in 1892 while South Dakota voted for incumbent Republican Benjamin Harrison. In 1896, it was North Dakota backing GOPer William McKinley while South Dakota supported Democrat William Jennings Bryan by less than 200 votes. North Dakota voted Democratic in 1912 and 1916 supporting Woodrow Wilson while South Dakota cast its Electoral College votes for Progressive Teddy Roosevelt and Republican Charles Hughes respectively.